A locket and a singalong
Our morning began with the small things: the invitation tucked among eucalyptus and protea, and a bracelet with a tiny heart locket laid open across the card. In the bride’s room, Giovi laughed through the last touches of lipstick, then caught our eye in the mirror of an old carved timber dresser. Elsewhere on the property, Andrés and the boys were in white shirts and orange bow ties, belting out a song under a corrugated verandah roof. We crouched low so the roofline framed every open mouth. Later, out beside a weatherboard cottage, the whole crew linked arms and kicked their legs up together, drinks still in hand.
Burnt orange and lace
Back in the homestead, the bridesmaids in one-shoulder burnt orange gowns fanned out Giovi’s very long veil while someone sipped champagne by the carved mantel. Her lace gown with its little cap sleeves came alive by the tall window, where the curtains gave us soft side light and the train could spread across the floor. A loved one rested her forehead against Giovi’s for a moment we kept in black and white. Then the bouquets arrived, big bunches of protea, calla lilies, roses and eucalyptus, and five bridesmaids crowded in around her, all grinning at once.
White doors on the aisle
Guests gathered on the lawn below the two-storey timber lodge, where Andrés shook hands and swapped hugs on his way to the front. The aisle ran between a pair of old white doors under a huge gum, with chalkboard signs at the start. One by one the bridesmaids walked out past the rose bushes and a little stone fountain. Then Giovi’s dad, in a pale suit with an orange tie, led her out of the lodge, through a rose arbour and down the aisle as phones went up on both sides. We stayed well ahead with a longer lens so we never crowded them.
Vows above the vines
The ceremony sat on a timber deck at the edge of the vineyard, with a curling metal arch, rose bushes along the front and rows of vines running away behind. Andrés waited there with his groomsmen and a very big smile. While Giovi looked up at him through the vows, we turned around to the front row, where loved ones were wiping their eyes and an older guest sat with his own camera ready on his lap. Wide frames from behind the chairs tell the whole story at once: bridal party, deck, vines and gum branches overhead.
A veil over two shoulders
At the signing table, two loved ones came forward and laid Giovi’s veil across Andrés’ shoulders as well as her own, and they signed with it still in place, laughing. Then came the kiss, and Giovi raised her bouquet high in the air as they walked back past the front row. Out on the lawn the hugs started in earnest, and one guest held up a phone to snap Andrés with a bridesmaid while we photographed the photographer. A clear path back down the aisle is worth planning for: it gives us one clean, joyful frame of the two of you together.
Mason jars and a timber swing
Family groups came next on the lawn beside the lodge, quick and cheerful, before the bridal party headed for the vines. Nobody needed directing. The groomsmen struck silly poses, the bridesmaids raised mason jar drinks between the rows, and everyone piled onto a timber A-frame swing at the edge of the vineyard. Then we took Giovi and Andrés down to the lake. The timber jetty out to the gazebo island is a gift on a breezy day, and her veil lifted and streamed out over the water while Andrés held her close. Beside a round hay bale, they simply held hands.
Golden light and old tractors
As the sun dropped towards the trees, the lake bank turned gold, and we put the light behind them so it glowed through the veil and the edges of Giovi’s hair. In early summer the sun sets late out here, so there was no rush at all. Further along, a pair of old tractors resting among the vines gave us a farm backdrop with real character. Giovi and Andrés walked hand in hand down a grassy row, talking rather than posing, which is exactly when the best Glen Erin at Lancefield wedding photos happen.
Bonbons and a barrel cake
Inside the timber-lined dining room, tables were set with bonbons, little bottles of bubbles tied with name tags, mason jars and tall copper stands spilling flowers, with table numbers standing on wine barrel lids. A framed photograph of a loved one sat by a candle and a calla lily buttonhole, a gentle way of keeping someone close. The bridal party danced in between the tables, the bonbons cracked and paper crowns went on. The cake stood on a wine barrel, and during the speeches a bridesmaid dabbed her eyes while a groomsman wore his tie as a headband.
First dance, last chorus
Giovi and Andrés took the parquet floor for their first dance with the band set up beside them, and by the end Giovi had her arms flung wide while the room clapped and cheered. Three groomsmen performed their own routine in front of the big windows as the light faded over the vines. After that the floor never emptied: hugs, singalongs and arms slung over shoulders. Warm timber walls like these bounce light back beautifully, so the room stays golden in photos long after dark. Our last frame looked out across the black vineyard to one glowing light on the property.
